Friends of KARA, we are not staffed to provide individual answers to the questions we receive from you. My request of every reader is that you call your state representatives a few times a year to let them know just how difficult our child protection systems are and how much suffering there is because these institutions are not well understood, trained or resourced. My apologies Troy New York –
All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children
There is a situation here in Troy, New York. Regarding our Rensselaer County CPS Office. As of April, 2015, when the four children involved first went back to live with their mother. There have been at least 8 calls to Rensselaer County CPS regarding a mother and these four children, soon to be 4, 6, 8 and 10, years of age this year. There have been continuous calls made to both Rensselaer & Albany County CPS offices on this mother since 2007. There were calls/reports given to Rensselaer County CPS back in June, July, September, October, November and twice in December, 2015. The ones in December, 2015 was made by the children’s school nurse for lack of medical care. Then again in January, 2016 of the little boy, present age of 7 whose mother’s live in boyfriend punch him in the mouth, resulting in a broken front tooth.
Then again in March of 2016, a report was made to the same Rensselaer County CPS office ( same case worker) that the present age of 5 little sister of the 7 year old boy. Said she saw a few times, the mom’s live in boyfriend kissing their present age of 9 year old sister “ like boyfriend & girlfriend. That the 9 year old sister was touching the live in boyfriends’ private area. My question to you is, why after all these numerous calls made, and esp. the last two calls regarding physical assault and sex abuse is this CPS office allowing the total of these four siblings to still be living with this mom and her live in boyfriend? And why, when asking this same question to this CPS office, the caseworker, her supervisor and the Director of this CPS office. We get the BS answer of “ Oh, it takes time, but we are investigating”.
Yet, we know for a fact, that not one person from this CPS office has contacted neighbors( some of them making the calls themselves) of this mom. Who are willing to testify to the abuse, maltreatment and neglect of these children, that they have witnessed firsthand. Is there anything we can do to get a higher up the ladder with New York State ( We have spoken to a couple of NYS Assembly members. About raising the CPS minimum standards and protocols set up by our legislators. That CPS workers are required to follow by law. But it only fell on deaf ears) or the Federal Government involved?
Here in Albany County, back in December, 2014, we had a little boy( Kenneth White) age five, die by the hands of his 19 year old female cousin. And the sad part is, Albany County CPS knew of the poor, neglectful, abusive, crowded environment( two room mobile home, 3 toddlers, 4 grown mentally impaired adults) this little boy, his twin sister and other younger sibling were living in. Yet allowed them to live there, rather than remove these children to a safer environment. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration to this inquiry.
Sincerely,
Concerned G’ma